Category: Packaging

  • Taiwan Warnings to Cover Half of Pack

    Taiwan Warnings to Cover Half of Pack

    Photo: sharafmaksumov

    Beginning March 22, 2024, health warnings on cigarette packages in Taiwan must cover at least 50 percent of the packaging, up from 35 percent, according to the Taipei Times.

    The Health Promotion Administration cited the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Article 11, saying the article requires all contracting partier to ensure tobacco product packaging carries health warnings describing the harmful effects of tobacco use.

    According to a 2024 Canadian Cancer Society report, 127 countries and territories require warnings to cover 50 percent or more of the packaging.

    Those caught not following the health warning rule face fines of TWD10,000 ($319.23) to TWD50,000.

  • Kenya Relaxes Pouch Health Warnings

    Kenya Relaxes Pouch Health Warnings

    Image: Tobacco Reporter archive

    The Kenyan government has relaxed nicotine pouch health warning requirements following BAT’s statement that it would pull investment from a new factory in the country’s capital, according to The Guardian.

    The government agreed to let BAT sell Velo nicotine pouches with significantly smaller health warnings and without mentioning the presence of potentially cancer-causing toxicants, according to letters between BAT and the Ministry of Health, which were obtained by Examination, an investigative news outlet. The ministry agreed to let BAT sell Velo with a small warning stating, “This product contains nicotine and is addictive.”

    Current regulations in the country state that labels must cover one-third of the package and include information about health hazards.

    Kenya is one of BAT’s key “test markets” in low-income and middle-income countries, according to company financial presentations. The company plans to make Kenya its base of operations for a rollout of Velo across southern and eastern Africa.

    In 2021, BAT requested its product be allowed to be sold with a warning label covering 10 percent of the packaging. In a letter, Crispin Achola, BAT Kenya’s managing director, told Mutahi Kagwe, the cabinet health secretary, “our resumption of factory operations and the sale of Lyft [Velo’s previous name] in Kenya hinges on the provision of appropriate text health warnings.”

    “Your positive consideration of this request will allow us to operationalize our factory,” the letter said.

    In response, the Ministry of Health agreed to allow a warning label covering 15 percent of the front of the package.

    Velo is the only nicotine pouch legally available in Kenya, though other brands are smuggled in illegally.

  • Russian Duma Supports Move to Digital Labels

    Russian Duma Supports Move to Digital Labels

    Image: Glitter_Klo

    Russia’s State Duma Budget Committee supports a bill that regulates the procedure for collecting excise taxes and their administration following the transition to digital labeling of tobacco and nicotine-containing products, according to Interfax.

    “The development of the bill is due to the fact that from March 1, 2024, the requirements for labeling tobacco and nicotine-containing products will change. We are abandoning paper stamps and moving to using digital stamps for labeling,” Deputy Minister of Finance Alexey Sazanov said.

    “The term accounting and control special mark is being introduced. This is essentially the bar code that will be applied to the pack. Certain control requirements are being specified—the tax base cannot be less than the corresponding volume of production—tobacco or nicotine-containing products, fixed in state information system,” Sazanov said.

    Regarding the appearance of the digital mark, Sazanov said, “Instead of a physical excise stamp, there will be a barcode, like on medicines, on dairy products. There will be an identification sign.”

  • Canada Rolls Out New Health Warnings

    Canada Rolls Out New Health Warnings

    Canada has started rolling out 14 new graphic health warnings on cigarette packs, reports Yahoo Finance.  Manufacturers must ensure the new labels are on packages by Jan. 31, and retailers are required to stock the packs by April 30, according to Health Canada.

    The new labels feature smoking-related illnesses such as tongue, stomach and neck cancer, as well as gangrene. Canada pioneered the concept of graphic health warnings in 2001 and has frequently updated its image library to prevent the pictures from losing their shock value.

    The latest set of photo warnings also build on various other harms of smoking, including heart attack, brain damage and death from stroke as well as impotence due to reduced blood flow to the penis.

    Another set of 14 photo warnings is expected to appear on cigarette packages in two years.

    Last year, the government also required cigarette manufacturers to print health warnings on individual cigarette sticks. Cigarettes now include messages, such as “poison in every puff,” in English and French.

    Canada aims to  slash smoking rates from about 10 percent to less than 5 percent by 2035.

  • Court Stays Kathmandu Ban on Plastic Packs

    Court Stays Kathmandu Ban on Plastic Packs

    Photo: Tobacco Reporter archive

    The Patan High Court on Dec. 15 stayed the Kathmandu Metropolitan City’s decision to ban the sale of tobacco products packed in plastics, reports The Kathmandu Post.

     Judges Janak Pandey and Brajesh Pyakurel issued an interim order not to implement the decision while responding to a tobacco company’s petition against the decision of the metropolis.

    In early December, the city announced a ban on the sale of tobacco products packed in plastics in the areas under its jurisdiction from Dec. 13. In its ruling, the court argued that tobacco companies are preparing to pack their products in biodegradable packages.

     Kathmandu tried to ban tobacco several times before, but failed on each occasion.

  • Australia Adds Vape Graphic Warnings

    Australia Adds Vape Graphic Warnings

    Potential new graphic health warnings as envisioned by Australia’s Department of Health and Aged Care

    Australia will extend the requirement for manufacturers to print graphic health warnings on tobacco products to e-cigarettes, according to reports by CityNews and News. Manufacturers have until April 1, 2024, to roll out “repulsive” new health warnings on cigarette and vape packets. Retailers will be given a further three months to update their stock as new warning labels are gradually rolled out.

    On Dec. 7, the country’s federal parliament passed a law with measures to discourage smoking and vaping. Among other provisions, the legislation updates the health warnings on cigarette packages, standardizes the design and appearance of cigarette filters and applies tobacco advertising restrictions to vapor products.

    Earlier, Australia had announced a ban on single-use vapes that will take effect at the start of 2024. Starting in March, it will also be illegal to import or supply vapes that don’t comply with standards from the medical regulator. Doctors and nurses would still be able to prescribe therapeutic vapes as a tool to help smokers quit.

    Health Minister Mark Butler said the new smoking laws would save lives.

    “Tobacco has caused immeasurable harm and cost us countless lives in this country,” he told parliament. “We can’t stand by and allow another generation of people to be lured into addiction and suffer the enormous health, economic and social consequences.”

    About 20 percent of Australian 18-year-olds to 24-year-olds vape while about one in seven 14-year-olds to 17-year-olds use the product.

  • Court Urged to Permit U.S. Graphic Warnings

    Court Urged to Permit U.S. Graphic Warnings

    Image: FDA

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration urged a federal appeals court to let a regulation requiring graphic health warnings on tobacco packaging and promotions take effect, a year after it was blocked by a lower court, reports Reuters.

    On Dec. 5, FDA representative Lindsey Powell told the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that the images on the proposed labels are necessary because text-only warnings failed to deter teenagers from starting to smoke. The labels would include 11 graphic images, such as diseased feet with amputated toes, to illustrate the risks of smoking.

    The tobacco companies that challenged the regulation have argued that the graphic labels violate their right to free speech under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution by compelling them to make emotionally charged, controversial statements rather than mere facts like existing written labels stating that smoking can cause cancer.

    The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act of 2009 instructs the FDA to create visual health warnings, but the D.C. Circuit in 2012 blocked the agency’s first attempt, saying that regulators had not convincingly demonstrated that the warnings would actually reduce smoking.

    In March 2020, the FDA released the final rule requiring new graphic warnings for cigarettes that feature some of the lesser known but still serious health risks of smoking, such as diabetes, on the top half of the front and back of cigarette packages and at least 20 percent of the area on the top of cigarette advertisements.

    R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., ITG Brands and Liggett Group filed a First Amendment challenge in April 2020. The rule was set to take effect in November 2023 after it was repeatedly pushed back by court.

    In a lengthy opinion issued Dec. 7, 2022, U.S. District Judge J. Campbell Barker of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas vacated the FDA’s rule after finding that the required label statements and graphic images are not narrowly tailored to the agency’s interest in promoting public awareness of the health risks of smoking.

  • Decro Installs Goebel Slitter-Rewinders

    Decro Installs Goebel Slitter-Rewinders

    Photo: Goebel IMS

    Goebel IMS installed two Monoslit 9000 slitter rewinders on Guangdong Decro’s high-speed BOPP film production lines.

    Guangdong Decro Film New Materials Co. is one of the top manufacturers of BOPP film in China, featuring four subsidiaries—including Guangdong Decro Package Films Co.—and three manufacturing facilities that total more than 187,000 square meters. Currently, Decro runs seven international advanced BOPP lines, two functional coating lines and ten twin-screw extruders for functional Masterbatch.

    The two Goebel machines have a 1,200 meters per minute speed and the newest design and technologies for processing special kinds of BOPP film.

    “As one of the worldwide leading BOPP manufacturers for specialty films, we always require sophisticated high-end equipment to meet our customers’ demand,” said He Wenjun, vice president of Guangdong Decro Package Films Co.

    “We are happy to have identified Goebel IMS as a trustworthy partner for our primary slitting and rewinding operations. The performance of the machines exceeds our expectations and especially the second line was installed and operating in record time. We are looking forward to continuing our positive working relationship with Goebel IMS.”

    “We would like to thank Guangdong Decro for their trust in Goebel IMS and the good cooperation which enabled the very successful commissioning of the two primary slitters for their two new BOPP lines with a working width of 8.7 meters,” said Tobias Lanksweirt, managing director of Goebel Schneid- und Wickelsysteme.

  • Packaging Market to Top $21 Billion

    Packaging Market to Top $21 Billion

    Photo: Taco Tuinstra

    The global tobacco packaging market will reach a value of around $21.05 billion by 2029 increasing at a compound annual growth rate of 3.2 percent, according to a new report by Precedence Research.

    The Asia Pacific region has established itself as the dominant market, commanding a 34 percent market share in 2022, and it is poised to experience the most rapid growth throughout the projected period. In particular, China stands out as the largest tobacco exporter and manufacturer. The nation is projected to become the global leader in the tobacco packaging market by 2032.

    Many tobacco packaging developments are driven by regulation, according to Precedence Research. For instance, in July 2022, India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, enacted regulatory changes to the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labeling) Rules, 2008, introducing updated health warning requirements for all tobacco product packaging within the country.

    Numerous countries have instituted stringent measures to reduce smoking rates and safeguard public health. These regulations encompass requirements for graphic health warnings, mandates for plain packaging, and strict limitations on tobacco advertising.

    Meanwhile, suppliers of tobacco packaging are shifting toward recyclable and eco-friendly solutions. This transition reflects a broader global trend towards sustainability and environmental consciousness, driven by consumer preferences, regulatory pressures and corporate responsibility initiatives, according to Precedence Research.

    In March 2023, ITC of India reaffirmed its commitment to sustainability, emphasizing its ongoing endeavors to minimize plastic waste. The company said it reduced the plastic waste it generated by 60,000 metric tons. ITC is actively exploring environmentally friendly alternatives to single-use plastics in their tobacco product packaging, focusing on materials such as recyclable and biodegradable paperboards.

    In April 2022, British American Tobacco introduced its Vype e-cigarettes in packaging crafted from a blend of recyclable paperboard and other materials. BAT has committed to an ambitious sustainability goal to ensure that all Vype packaging becomes fully recyclable by 2023.

    In May 2022, Japan Tobacco announced its intention to render all cigarette packaging recyclable by 2025. This initiative involves the utilization of a hybrid composition consisting of recyclable paperboard and plastic materials.

    Like many other industries, the global tobacco packaging market has undergone substantial disruptions and transformations due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Lockdowns, travel restrictions and labor shortages disrupted the manufacturing and transportation of packaging materials. This resulted in delays, extended lead times, and increased manufacturer costs. To address these challenges, companies adapted by diversifying their supplier base, optimizing inventory management and exploring alternative sourcing options.

    Covid-19 has also significantly altered consumer behavior, consequently impacting the tobacco industry and, by extension, the packaging market. Measures such as social distancing, health concerns and economic uncertainties led some smokers to reduce or quit smoking altogether. This shift in demand prompted tobacco companies to reassess their product offerings and packaging strategies. Some manufacturers started offering their products in smaller pack sizes, for example.

  • Oman to Implement Plain Packaging

    Oman to Implement Plain Packaging

    Image: mbruxelle

    Oman’s Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion (MoCIIP) announced that the mandatory standard for plain packaging of tobacco products will be effective April 2024, according to the Daily Muscat.

    “The ministry requests tobacco companies and local compliance firms to follow Ministerial Decision No. 2023/67, which requires implementing Omani Standard OS1655 for plain packaging of tobacco products. This becomes mandatory from April 4, 2024,” the MoCIIP said in a statement.

    The ministry issued a decision on the standard in March 2023 and deemed it a binding Omani standard specification.

    The standard requires that at least 65 percent of the packaging include a public health warning, picture and a message to quit while the rest of the packaging displays the brand name in a standardized font and color.